At issue is the fundamental right of parents to decide what medical treatment is appropriate for their children. The notion of federal bureaucrats ordering potentially millions of youngsters to take psychotropic drugs like Ritalin strikes an emotional chord with American parents, who are sick of relinquishing more and more parental control to government.

"Once created, federal programs are nearly impossible to eliminate. Anyone who understands bureaucracies knows they assume more and more power incrementally. A few scattered state programs over time will be replaced by a federal program implemented in a few select cities. Once the limited federal program is accepted, it will be expanded nationwide. Once in place throughout the country, the screening program will become mandatory.

"Soviet communists attempted to paint all opposition to the state as mental illness. It now seems our own federal government wants to create a therapeutic nanny state, beginning with schoolchildren. It's not hard to imagine a time 20 or 30 years from now when government psychiatrists stigmatize children whose religious, social, or political values do not comport with those of the politically correct, secular state.

"American parents must do everything they can to remain responsible for their children's well-being. If we allow government to become intimately involved with our children's minds and bodies, we will have lost the final vestiges of parental authority. Strong families are the last line of defense against an overreaching bureaucratic state."

8. I get it now...but I'm at a loss as to how this ties into my post???

Edited on Sat May-02-09 11:21 PM by bluebellbaby

Only one bullet "killed" kennedy...so is it being implied that I'm trying to "kill spector" with this one issue?

If that's the implication...that was not my intentions...to "kill spector" but remind everyone that even though he's changed parties his loyalties may not be with us...

And I gave an example to show that he doesn't have "the peoples" interests at heart (all the time). The example given came up in conversation with my niece who lives in Lousiana and her decision to "home school" her children...and I remembered what Spector did in 2001...

Just a cautionary post and a reminder...that's all...

Because if I reviewed his 29 years at length...I'm sure I could point out more examples with references to back it up...where he put his personal interests or the interests of the pharmacutical companies above the American people...

My senior year in high school I started showing symptoms of severe schizophrenia, but because it was a small town everyone just looked the other way and ignored it. I never got treatment, and I had severe, humiliating, terrifying delusions for 4 years. By the end I was near suicide. In retrospect I would've LOVED it if there was mandatory mental health screening and medication available. Most people with severe mental illnesses do not even know they are sick.

The parental consent part is tricky, but considering how terrified most parents are of the idea that their kids have a mental illness I could see how millions of parents would refuse to let their kids be tested and would rather have them suffer from a severe illness rather than face the shame of having to admit that their children are sick. How many of those same parents avoid cancer screening because they don't want to know the results?

This makes me respect Specter far more than I did before. We are (myself included) a nation of ostriches when it comes to mental health. We bury our heads in the sand, ignore the problem and hope it goes away. It doesn't.

It happens at times. I had severe positive symptoms and after about 4 years they subsided. I guess I am in the 15-20% who only have 1 episode and then pick up and go on. The long term prognosis for schizophrenia is actually quite good, something like 50-70% are asymptomatic by their 40s.

How did I know? They matched the symptoms more than any other illness, and I had both a counselor and psychiatrist I saw after the fact tell me the same thing. My family doctor while I had the symptoms (I wasn't communicative enough to really talk to him) told my dad I either had bipolar or schizophrenia. It may not have been schizophrenia exactly (diagnostics aren't perfect in mental health) but it was a severe illness that had positive and negative symptoms that match schizophrenia.

Either way, I can appreciate the idea of mandatory mental health testing. A huge problem with the mentally ill is how many don't have the ability to know they are sick, which makes treatment interventions difficult to navigate.

Our country has gone down the "evil rabbit hole" by believing that "drugs" will fix everything...and our most precious "possessions"...our children should be protected...

And I do understand where you are coming from...when you say that society "turns a blind eye to it" or ignores it...

Most "mentally ill" people were put in jails...there was no place for them years ago...

But having your rights and the rights of unknowing parents having their children tested without their knowledge and in quite a few cases the children were tested then ""taken away" parental rights were severed by the state and then the children were forcibly given drugs that caused hundreds of suicides or deaths...

You are living proof that there is no need for drugs...therapy...absolutely...and most of what we "as humans" experience throughout our live can/could be described or "diagnosed" as a mental disorder at some point...that's were we should help one another...

As a society we need to do more....but forcing "testing" that is designed to "find a mental disorder" in children so that big pharmacutical companies can sell more drugs is...for no better word...crazy...

I attempted suicide when I was 18...jumped off a bridge and woke up 3 days later in intensive care...after being forced to take drugs prescribed...

It's an ugly situation that I would not wish on my worst enemy...but I too found a wonderful pyschologist, Eileen... who walked me through 8 years of therapy...

I offer a hand out to you now...if you ever need to PM me please feel free...I'll check my profile...I think my email is there...

I'm sorry if we got off to a bad start on this thread. I appreciate it when I find someone who understands what the isolation and pain can be like from these illnesses. I'm sorry about your experience of being forced to take drugs (I assume they were SSRIs as those can increase suicide risk in kids).

However with drugs I do think they can help. They are not the end all/cure all and you are right in saying that pharmaceutical companies are manipulating healthcare to push their wares, but they do play a role. I had severe positive symptoms, and I know that many antipsychotics are effective at controlling those. Many of the humiliating things I did I did because I didn't know my positive symptoms were from a treatable mental illness, I thought they were real. Part of me wonders what would've happened if I'd had drugs that could've kept the delusions under control enough for me to get insight and realize I was sick.

With illnesses like schizophrenia or bipolar that destroy your ability to realize you are even sick, it is tricky to treat them the same way it is tricky to know how to treat someone in a coma or someone who has dementia and didn't leave a will. I have heard stories of homeless people who were arrested for breaking the law and forcibly given antipsychotics in jail who thanked the jailers after the symptoms got down to a point where they had introspection and had the symptoms under control, saying they never would've been able to get treatment on their own. So I don't know.

I think we could discuss the pros and cons of medications and agree that their are both good and bad experiences to taking them...my original posting here came up because my niece in Lousianna is going to home school her 3 children and after my horrible experiences...I support her decision...

I only believe that if there is going to be testing it shouldn't be mandatory but at the request and approval of parents and after they've been given "informed consent"...and I mean where all possible avenues of treatment are either discussed or employed prior to the use of drugs...they can be so destructive and addictive...

I firmly believe in my heart and soul that people are placed into our lives for reasons...and thank God for your therapist...and mine...Eileen couldn't have come to me at any better time...

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